Mourning the Warrior, and Questioning the War (Sue Niederer)

[Shallah Kali]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/22/nyregion/22profile.html

She says she was opposed to the war from the start, not believing that Iraq posed a threat to the United States. Her son's qualms were more practical; when he was deployed from Fort Drum, N.Y., in September 2003, after finishing officer training school, he told his mother that he felt he had not been properly trained or equipped for combat.

{snip}

SOON after he died, Mrs. Niederer said, she and her son's widow ran into a wall of military bureaucracy. As an observant Jew, Mrs. Niederer asked that her son not be embalmed or undergo an autopsy, requests that she said were ignored. She asked to go to Dover Air Force Base to meet her son's coffin, but says she was told that was against the rules. And she says she has tried reaching members of her son's platoon to learn the circumstances of his death, especially after the Army told her he had been killed trying to defuse a bomb.

"He had no training in bomb detection or in defusing bombs," she said. "He did not have proper equipment. When I complained in public about the inadequate training and lack of equipment, the Army changed the story. They told me he was not trying to defuse a bomb. I still don't know how he died. They won't let me speak to or contact members of his platoon."

Asked about her accusations, Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, said in a statement yesterday that Lieutenant Dvorin "was well trained and fully integrated into his unit," and that he "died leading his soldiers in combat."

[Hekate]

1. My letter to the editor about Sun Niederer at Laura B's rally

I sent this out to my local paper and the Los Angeles Times.
Hekate

Gold Star Mother Arrested at Laura Bush Rally

How hard would it have been for Laura Bush to have broken away from her
script and allowed Sue Niederer, bereft of her child, to meet with her
for a few moments? Would a moment's public expression of compassion have
hurt the Bush cause so much? Is this Laura's Marie Antoinette moment?

What IS it about the Bushes that lets them talk about "compassionate
conservatism" and "faith based initiatives" while encouraging
stone-hearted mockery of the anguish of others among their followers? Both the treatment of Sue Niederer at the Laura Bush rally and the distribution of "Purple Heart" bandaids at the Republican National Convention are emblematic. Unwounded themselves, they "jest at scars."

What does it say about us as a people that half the country apparently still thinks George Bush is a swell guy with our best interests at heart? He, his campaigning family, and members of his administration exhibit little or no real concern for the lives and well-being of others.

Everywhere the Bush team goes they are sheltered from lawful dissent, often arriving and departing in virtual secrecy. Events are ticket-only, and it has become standard to have participants sign a statement of unconditional support (the infamous "loyalty oath"). From the President on down, Team Bush exists in an echo-chamber. If you have a problem, they don't want to hear it.

This behavior is that of royalty who rule by the divine right of kings, not that of democratically elected officials who serve at the will of the people — although Mr. Bush, recognizing that he did not actually win the 2000 election, believes it is by the will of God that he holds the office.

Sue Niederer, having lost her 24 year old son in a dubious war in a country that did not attack us, is more than entitled to ask the hard questions of her president and those who campaign on his behalf. She herself has paid the ultimate sacrifice. The least -- the very least -- her president and his wife can do is hear her anguished cry.

X*X*X*X

~~~Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.~ Margaret Mead~~~

[lostnfound]

2. Great letter! Hope it gets published! nt